(dpa) - Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second-in-command of the al- Qaeda terrorist network, has urged Muslims to support jihad against the US in Iraq and warned that the terrorist network was planning attacks against the West in a new audiotape released Tuesday.
In the message purported to be from al-Zawahiri, Muslims are rebuked for not supporting jihadists in Iraq and other areas.
Al-Qaeda's No 2 called on the Muslim nation not to withhold men and money in support of the "its brothers of the Mujahidin."
"I call on all Muslims to hurry to the battlefield of jihad, mainly in Iraq," he said.
The message is part of a two-part series where al-Zawahiri is to answer hundreds of questions submitted to him via online forums.
Fighters in Iraq were urged to unite under the leadership of the Islamic State of Iraq, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda.